# Incident 20170302004199I: Piper PA-28-161, Melbourne, FL, March 2, 2017

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 2, 2017, 17:14 local time
- Place: Melbourne, FL
- Airport: Melbourne International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: ECQS
- Location: 28.0836° N, 80.6081° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Melbourne, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.0836&lon=-80.6081&mi=10
- Aircraft: N623FT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N623FT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-161
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 58 total, 58 in this make and model, 18 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170302004199I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

EON DRA NOTIFICATION DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT FROM MLB ATCT: AIRCRAFT LANDED RUNWAY 9R. AFTER LANDING THE ENGINE QUIT ON THE RUNWAY. DURING A RESTART ATTEMPT, A SMALL FIRE IGNITED WHICH WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THE PILOT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO THE RAMP. NO INJURIES. DAMAGE UNKNOWN.

THE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN BY A STUDENT PILOT. THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: "UPON LANDING THE AIRCRAFT, I WAS ABOUT TO GENTLY INCREASE THE THROTTLE WHEN THE ENGINE CUT OUT". THE STUDENT THEN MADE 3 ATTEMPTS AT A FLOODED ENGINE START  BEFORE OBSERVING SMOKE COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ACFT.

THE FLIGHT SCHOOL DIRECTOR OF SAFETY (DOS) REPORTED THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND SEQUENCE OF EVENTS BASED ON INFORMATION REPORTED BY THE STUDENT AND OTHER SOURCES:  ?THE ENGINE STALLED AFTER LANDING DURING DECELERATION ON A STOP AND GO LANDING ON RUNWAY 9R AT KMLB.  AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS STOPPED THE PILOT INFORMED THE TOWER OF THE PROBLEM AND TRIED ONCE TO RESTART THE ENGINE WITHOUT SUCCESS, THEN STATED THAT SHE INFORMED THE TOWER OF CONTINUING DIFFICULTIES. SHE SAID THAT SHE THEN READ AND FOLLOWED THE FLOODED ENGINE START PROCEDURE IN THE CHECKLIST. THE STUDENT TRIED THE FLOODED ENGINE START 3 TIMES UNSUCCESSFULLY AND THEN NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE COWLING AND SHUT OFF THE SWITCHES, MIXTURE, ETC.  SHE GRABBED THE EXTINGUISHER AND EVACUATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUGHT THE FIRE USING THE ON BOARD HALON EXTINGUISHER. SHE HAD EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE BY THE TIME THE KMLB ARFF TEAM ARRIVED WITH THEIR TRUCK. WHEN ASKED LATER, THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SHE HAD MOVED THE THROTTLE DURING THE START PROCEDURE. THE FUEL FIRE ORIGINATED ON THE LOWER COWLING, BELOW AND JUST AFT OF THE CARB AIR BOX.?

THE SCHOOL DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE (DOM) REPORTED FINDING NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION LEADING TO THE FIRE DURING SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION AND REPAIR OF THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE AND SURROUNDING AREA. THE FIRE APPARENTLY OCCURRED AFTER FUEL FROM THE ACCELERATOR PUMP IN THE UPDRAFT CARBURETOR HAD COLLECTED IN THE CARBURETOR AIRBOX AND LEAKED ON TO THE LOWER ENGINE COWL BELOW, AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY IGNITED DURING THE ENGINE RESTART ATTEMPTS. THE FIRE DAMAGE WAS MINOR AND CONFINED TO THE ENGINE EXTERIOR AND COWLING INTERIOR.

THE SCHOOL DOS REPORTED THAT THE STUDENT PILOT WOULD BE RECEIVING ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN FLOODED ENGINE RESTART PROCEDURES BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO RESUME SOLO FLIGHT OPERATIONS.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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